LAHORE           -          Rashid Malik of ZTBL trounced Hasan Said by 6-1, 6-1 to clinch the men’s singles 45 plus title in the 34th Maple Leaf Pakistan ITF Seniors World Ranking Tennis Championship, which concluded here at the PLTA Courts on Friday.
Secretary Sports Ehsan Bhutta graced the concluding ceremony as chief guest and distributed prizes and shields among the winners. Other notables present on the occasion were PLTA Chairman Iftikhar Ahmad Rao, Secretary and former Davis Cupper Rashid Malik (Tamgha-e-Imtiaz), Senior Vice President Mansoor Warraich, Finance Secretary Zahid Rai, Naeem Siddiqui from USA, Col Asif Dar, Naseem Ahmed, Zohaib Raza from Bahawalpura, tennis players and their families.
In men’s singles 45 plus final, Rashid Malik of ZTBL was in sublime form and played tremendous tennis against his opponent. Maliknever allowed Hasan Said to settle down and won the final comfortably in straight sets 6-1, 6-1. Malik just conceded one point to take the first set 6-1, while he took the second set with the same margin of 6-1 to grab the title.
Talha Waheed of Gas & Oil Pakistan Ltd also added two crowns in his already decorated cap as first he, partnering with Usama Waheed, won the men’s 35 plus doubles final and then pairing with Muhammad Shakeel, he claimed the men’s 40 plus doubles title. It is worth mentioning here that Talha Waheed is number one ranked tennis player in the seniors 35 plus doubles in all Pakistan nationals, and it was his fourth consecutive year of registering title victories in the ITF Seniors events in Pakistan.
Iftikhar Ahmad Rao and Zahid Rai also claimed their second crown when they defeated Ghazanfar Ali and M Babar 6-7(4), 6-4, 10-4 in the men’s 60 plus doubles final. Earlier, they stunned the strong pair of Khurram Khawaja and Asad Niaz to lift the men’s 65 plus doubles title.
In the men’s 40 plus singles final, Gujranwala’s Muhammad Shakeel of Corps 30 registered an impressive victory against spirited Talha Waheed with a score of 6-1, 6-3. Earlier, M Shakeel, partnering with Talha Waheed, had won the 40 plus doubles title, which was his second title in the event.